Vehicle-body.



w. u. GEROW & F10. PRUSIA.

VEHICLE BODY.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 8. I917.

Patented Oct. 8, 1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

92n %A'zaw MdM/W W. D. GEROW & F. O. PRUSIA.

VEHICLE BODY.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-8. 1911.

Patented Oct. 8, 1918.

Gwynne gs m M M a WILLIAM D. GEROW AND FRANKLDI O. PRUSIA, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

VEHICLE-BODY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 8,1918.

Application filed September 8, 1917. Serial No. 190,333.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM D. Gnnow and FRANKLIN O. PRUsIA, both citizens of the United States of America, and both residin at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and gtate of Michi an, have invented certain new and usefu Improvements in Vehicle-Bodies, of which the following is 'a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The inventlon relates to metallic vehicle bodies and comprises the novel construction of metallic frame therefor, as hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings:

F i re 1 is a sectional side elevation of the vehic e body;

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view thereof;

Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively a side elevation and horizontal section showing the frames for the door openings;

Figs. 5 and 6 are similar views showing the rear panel and supporting post;

Fig. 7 is a cross section showing one of the ribs or frame bars.

The essential feature of our improved construction is the formation of the frame of bars or strengthening ribs having aT-shaped cross section, the stem of the T being ar ranged intermediate and substantially parallel to the outer panel of the lining. As

shown in Fig. 7-, the T-shaped bars are pref-.

erably formed of a pair of U-bars A and B, having longlegs or flanges C abutting against and secured to each other and short flanges D at the outer edges thereof. The flanges C may be secured to each other by spot-welding or otherwise, while the flanges D form the securing means for attachment to the outer and inner panels.

Compound bars formed as describedmay be variously fashioned according to the particular part of the frame formed thereby. Thus, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, a bar E is bent longitudinallyinto a U-shape to form a supporting frame for the door-opening in the body; in Figs. 5 and 6 a bar F is bent into a curved form to impart the pro er contour to the back panel; in Fig. 1 a ar .G is bent to form a border frame for the upper edge of the body,and in the same manner the other parts of the body frame are suitably fashioned according to the con tour des'rred.

the flanges O intermediate the outer facing and the lining of the body is convenient, being out of the way, and these flanges, on account of their depth, will strongly brace and reinforce the transverse flanges forming the head of the T; also the bars of these sections may be more readily bent into the desired form and any wrinkling of irregularities produced by the bending will be in the flanges C and no in the comparatively narrow flanges D whlch are attached to the body facing. Thus the structure is one which is easily adapted to various shapes in body construction.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. In a metallic body for vehicles, a frame comprising a fashioned metallic bar of T- shaped cross-section, having the stem of the T arranged parallel to and between the outer and inner body sheets, and comparatively narrow flanges at the outer edges of the head of the T for attachment to said body sheets and conforming to the curvature thereof.

2. In a metallic body for vehicles, a frame comprising a curved metallic bar of T- shaped cross-section, being formed of a pair of U-sha'ped bars arranged side by side with contacting flanges secured to each other, the outer flanges of said U-shaped bar being of lesser depth than the contacting flanges.

3. In a metalicbody for vehicles, a frame comprising a plurality of metallic bars of T-sh-aped cross-section and the stem of the T lying parallel to and intermediate the outer and inner sheets of the body, the opposite ends of the head of the T having comparatively narrow flan es for attachment to said sheets, said bars icing joined to each other by overlapping the stem portions of the T.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures. 

